Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-05-20
rHE PRESIDENTS MAI.

| Letters from All Soi - " ~
for pension or Epistics o
the Children.
The PRESIDENTS mail contains ar
average of from 400 to 100 letters
day from persons whose claims for pen-
sions are pending before the depart
ment. These people address the ehiei
executive in belief, probably. that the
pension Office is next door to the white
house. and that theirs is the only letter
he may receive in week.
About one.half of these letters are
sent to Mrs. Cleveland The writers
in such cases are usually the wives or
daughters of the petitioners. Some OF
Them bestow upon Mrs. Cleveland such
titles as '.Her Mejesty," Empress,
and other appellations OF royalty.
There are few of the letters that do not
contain some touches of human nature.
They are evidently written in the sin
cere belief that Mrs. Cleveland will as
sist them il her sympathies can only DO
aroused. With this object In view a
great mass OF detail Is is set forth in the
communication, which. together with
obscure photography and bad spelling,
makes its understanding matter of no
inconsiderable time and labor.
II may be said in this connection that
neither the president nor Mrs. Cleve-
land is even aware OF the existence OF
these letters. They are opened by an
unromantic and unsentimental clerk at
the executive mansion, from whose
hands they fall into the waste basket
and are never heard OF again.
The women who address, Mrs. Clevc,
land furnish her with sugges,
tons rs to the better method OF
presenting their claim to the president.
One of the plans which perusal Of the
the letters show that all women hold in
common Is for her to wait until Mr..
Cleveland has had his supper and then,
when he ~ enjoying aqnlet smoke in the
parlor (s'c) bring the matter to his at
tontion. Many Of them tell her that
this is the horr Of the day when u man
is most amenable to argument, and
that they (tlie wr ters) prefer this as the
safest time for presenting their own
requests.
The applicants for pensions who
write TO the pres dent are. rs has been
said. old soldiers, who like the
femln ne part OF the family.
are sadly deficient In TIE principles of
even an elementary education. They
write too. int more vigorous style
than their halpmeets. and their IAN
guage is sometimes Of so robust a na-
ture that II frequently proyokes a smile.
For example. an Illinois man who adj
dresses tho president in a letter 70.
celyed to-day says:
''The pension officials tell me TO get
corroboratiye evidence from some OF
my comrades. want to tell you that
ii Is hell of matter to get evidence
from men who go into an action and
never come out again" and then he
continues by saying that Ii company
went into the Wilderness hundred
strong and at the end OF the seven days
fight. there were but nine of the nam
Der who were loft TO tell the tale.
Sometimes the letters are written by
children. who begin in this fashion:
DEAR Mr. PRESIDENT l am lit
tie girl only 10 years Of ago My papa
does not know am writing this let
ter. II he Il d he would not permit it. '
Then follows pathetic tale of want
and misery, touching enough in its sim
pie style of treatment. but rendered
doubly so by the fact of the writer's
youth and Innocence.
Several months ago one of these
touching missiyes Glanced to reach the
presidents eye. Its simple pleading
touched n sYmpathet cord in the pres
idents heart. The little miss begged
the retention OF her father, republi-
can, on the board of medical examiners
IN the New England town in which
their home was located. She said lac
was very old and DYING of an incurabc
disease, The position paid him sala-
ry OF about 81, POO year. and in visw
of the fact that he could no longer prac.
tice his profession the foregoing sum
was their only source OF income. The
letter concluded naively in these words.
Papa must not know about this. 1t
must be n secret between yau and mo
Ii you decide to keep him mark an Y
on the back of the enclosed postal card
and then | VII know that you are go.
lag to grant my wish
The pres dent sent the letter and in
closure to Comm ssioner of Pensions
Black, with this Endorsement:
III there are no charges against the
examiner in question YOU Will ohlige
mo by retaining him in his present
noaition ~